Chip implants aim to save lives

A Palm Beach, Fla., company plans to place chips inside eight test volunteers. Each chip will link to a database of health information that can be accessed by medical workers and others.

May 9, 20024:12 PM PDT

If your aging father had Alzheimer's, would you plant a chip in his back to keep him safe? What about placing one in a teen with allergies?

A Palm Beach, Fla.-based company is betting you would. On Friday, Applied Digital Solutions plans to implant chips in eight test volunteers so their personal information can be scanned with the wave of a wand.

Chips containing statistics such as addresses have been popular among pet owners who fear their dogs will stray. Now Applied Digital is appealing to people worried about the safety of loved ones with medical problems.

The grain-of-rice-size chip will contain a unique verification number that will be tied to a database of personal information including allergies and other medical conditions. Medical workers and others can access the information by using one of Applied Digital's proprietary scanners.

In a statement announcing the chip, Applied Digital President Scott Silverman said the system would provide "access to potentially life-saving, accurate, complete emergency health care information."

Among the first recipients of the chip will be an Alzheimer's patient and a family with a host of medical problems.